Business
ethics starts with a person. A
real breathing human being who makes moral and ethical choices everyday
for
better or for worse. The key to building a sound, ethical organization
is to
consider the character of those people who make it happen.
Ethical people
make up an ethical company. So we need to build strong individual
character as well as a strong company character.

Why?
Accepting
the role of supervisor or manager means a person also accepts
responsibility
for being the organization's agent, the representative of an
organization's
core values to their employees.

They
also
represent the needs, interests and well being of those employees to the
organization. The ethical challenge is for the supervisor to balance
the
organization's core values, his/her personal values and the values of
the
people being supervised, in such a way as to optimize ethical
congruence and
minimize ethical conflict. Being ethically effective in this role is
critical.

Most
managers are
concerned about doing what is right. Honesty, integrity, promise
keeping,
fidelity, fairness, caring for others, respect for others, responsible
citizenship, pursuit of excellence and accountability are accepted
values.But their execution is not always
easy, even
though management's desire is to create an organization that operates
consistently and predictably in accordance with such stated and
endorsed
values. But the benefits are worth the challenges: good ethics equals
good
business. In terms of quality, customer service, employee relations,
vendor
relations, regulatory relations and public perception, the benefits of
ethical
behavior are undeniable.

There is also
ample evidence that many are a direct response
to employee perceptions of unfairness or a lack of integrity within the
organization. When employees perceive ethical conflict - disagreement
between
their personal values and the values overtly stated or implied by an
organization's actions - they often feel a need to defend themselves
from anticipated
retaliation and/or to punish the organization for how they have been
treated.

Trust leads to
loyalty.And ethical dealings with employees and
customers lead to trust.As
managers, when trust is broken we see low commitment to organizational
goals
and objectives, poor performance and/or morale, lack of involvement in
programmed improvement initiatives, and employee indifference to the
needs of
the organization.

So whether a
company consistently behaves honorably is going
to profoundly shape its overall image. The responsibility for building
a
healthy corporate image falls on everyone in the company who maintains
an
outward-facing relationship—starting with the leadership.

This
course uses powerful examples to present complex issues
in a way that can be tailored to each work place. Participants
understand the
relevant examples—and remember them. The interactive exercises build in
room
for customization to meet your special needs.

CONTENT

Why
Ethics?

The
Crisis:
What are the Dangers and Opportunities

Ethics in
Your Organization

Which
Behaviors Are Supported By Written Or Unwritten Guidelines Of Conduct?

Ensuring
That Employees Have The Information They Need To Be
Effective

What Is
Expected Or Required For Them To Survive And To Be Successful (Tasks
And
Ethics)

Sharing
"How They Are Doing" At This Point In Time (Tasks And Ethics). What
Is Expected Or Required For Success?

What
are Three Quick Tests for Ethical Congruence?

The
Self-Test a.k.a. The Butterflies Inside Test

The
Authority Test a.k.a. What Would Mamma Say?

The
Public
Scrutiny
Test a.k.a. What Would the Neighbors Think?

Why Good
People Do Bad Things?

What
Influences Bad Choices or Unethical
Behavior?

Eight
Rationalizations For Ethical Compromise

1. I have
to cut corners to meet my goals.
2. I lack the time /resources to do what is right.
3. My peers expect me to act this way.
4. My superiors want results, not excuses.
5. I don't think it is really wrong or illegal.
6. Others would think that it is a good choice.
7. No one will ever know the difference.

Ethical Decision Making

Analysis
of
the
Situation

Who are
the
people involved in the dilemma?

What
authorities, laws, cods of conduct, policies, morals, and ethics govern
in some
form?

How are
they interrelated?

What is
involved?

What
facts
are in question?

What
values
are in conflict?

What
concepts need clarification?

How do
you
identify the values, issues or ethical dilemmas involved?

How do
you
make a concise statement of the problem and the state the conflict
involved?

How do
you
analyze alternatives?

What
courses of action are possible?

What are
the likely results of such actions?

What
guidance some form Professional Code of ethics?

What
institution policies are in operation?

What
principles of law might apply?

What
guidance comes from personally held principles?

What is
the
relationship between such principles and convictions of faith?